Indian-Style Potatoes and Spinach

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 large onion, halved and sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1" piece of ginger, minced
- 4 large Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
- 1/2 cup water (more if needed)
- 1 tsp chili powder
- salt to taste
- 2 handfuls baby spinach


METHOD
1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and fry until they begin to pop and splutter. Add onion, garlic and ginger and fry for 5-7 mins, until translucent.
2. Add potatoes, water, chili powder, and salt and mix well. Add a little more water, if needed, to make a nice sauce. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 12-15 mins, or until potatoes are cooked. Stir occasionally.
3. When potatoes are cooked, add spinach to the pan. Cover and cook for a few mins until spinach wilts but is still a nice vibrant green.

From Vegan Dad (http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2009/04/indian-style-potatoes-and-spinach.html)

Indian Lentils with Spinach and Eggplant

Ingredients:

•1 medium onion, medium diced
•1 eggplant, cubed
•1 cup sliced mushrooms
•1.5 cups whole mushrooms
•3 cloves garlic
•1.5 cups lentils
•3 cups vegetable broth
•2 tsp cinnamon
•2 tsp turmeric
•2 tsp curry
•2 tsp ginger
•1 tsp garam masala
•1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (less if you don’t want it too spicy!)
•1 bay leaf
•3 cups fresh spinach
•1 cup brown or white rice (optional)

To Prepare: Start by browning your onions in a large Dutch oven (or other heavy bottomed pan) over medium high heat. Then add the eggplant and mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring often. I really liked use of both whole and sliced mushrooms in this recipe. The whole mushrooms gave a great texture contrast in the final product!

Add the spices and stir to coat, letting the spices get toasty on the dry heat for about a minute or so.

Time for the star of the show – LENTILS! I used light green, but you could use the dark green or black lentils too. Just make sure to adjust your liquid accordingly. (Orange or red lentils would probably be too mushy for this!)

Give the lentils a quick stir, making sure to get them completely tossed in with the vegetables and spices.

Now add your broth. Approximate here. You’re going to want about 3ish cups, but really just eyeball it to have just enough to cover the top of the veggies and lentils. Don’t go too far over the top or you will have too much liquid in the final product.

Throw in a bay leaf for good measure.

Bring the liquid up to a simmer and then turn down the heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 30-35 minutes. The longer the better. Unlike rice, you don’t need to be afraid to open the top and check on lentils.

While you’re waiting, you can go ahead and make your rice.

Okay finally – the last step! Once the lentils are softened to your liking and your kitchen smells amazing, grab some fresh spinach and stir it in. It will seem like a TON of spinach, but it will wilt down into nothingness and you will see why we used so much. Stir it in really well, making sure it is all nice and wilted – should only take a minute or two.

From The Front Burner (http://www.thefrontburnerblog.com/2010/03/recipe-indian-lentils-with-spinach-eggplant.html)

Cheesy Creamy Casserole

INGREDIENTS
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- large handful baby spinach

Sauce
- 1 pkg firm tofu
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 3/4 cup roasted red pepper (I used bottled peppers)
- 1-2 tsp salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 3 cups soy milk

Topping
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup ground almonds

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Steam broccoli and cauliflower for 5-6 mins, until softened but still firm.
2. While veggies are steaming, make the sauce. Place sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and bring to bubbling, whisking constantly.
3. Mix together steamed veggies, chickpeas, and spinach with sauce and pour into a large casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs and almonds. Bake for 40 mins, until bubbling and top is browned.

From VeganDad (http://vegandad.blogspot.com/)

Green Soup with Ginger

Addition: a bit of miso or tamari at the very end to deepen the flavor, but you should add it sparingly, and taste as you go.

1 large yellow onion (250g)
2 tablespoons (30 ml.) olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
1 large sweet potato (12 ounces; 350 g)
1 large leek, white and light green parts (5 ounces; 140 g)
1 bunch spinach (8 ounces; 225 g)
1 large bunch green chard (12 ounces; 350 g)
3 tablespoons (30 g) chopped fresh ginger, plus more to taste
2 cups (500 ml) good-tasting vegetable broth
2-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper

Chop the onion and cook it slowly in the olive oil with a sprinkle of salt, stirring now and then, over low heat until it is soft and golden, about half an hour.

Meanwhile, peel and dice the sweet potato and put it in a large soup pot with 4 cups (1 liter) water and a teaspoon of sea salt. Thoroughly wash the leek, spinach, and chard, chop them coarsely, and add them to the pot, along with the chopped ginger.

Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the soup, covered, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely tender. Add the caramelized onions when they are ready. When the vegetables are soft, add the vegetable broth (you can add less if you like a thicker soup) and decide whether you want your soup chunky, like this, or smooth. If the latter, puree the soup in a blender, in batches, or with an immersion blender until it is smooth.

Stir in 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice and a few grinds of black pepper. Taste, and correct the seasoning with additional salt or lemon juice.

Serves 5-6.

This recipe was adapted from Love Soup by Anna Thomas.

From 101 Cookbooks (http://www.101cookbooks.com/)

Green Monster Muffins

Most spinach muffins are savory but these are sweet!

Makes 12 muffins

Dry Ingredients:

3/4 cup oat flour (note: you could probably sub flours of do 1 1/2 cups total of a single flour, instead of 2, if you’d like)
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Wet Ingredients:
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 single serving applesauce (or 1/2 cup)
1 cup PACKED, triple washed baby spinach, chopped by food processor into small bits (see photos above)
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 – 1 tsp lemon zest (depending on how lemon-y you want it)
Optional ingredient: 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, plus extra for topping

Directions:

1.Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray.
2.Add dry ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk together.
3.Whisk to beat egg and sugar together till light (I did this by hand for just a couple minutes).
4.Whisk in the rest of the wet ingredients.
5.Pour dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredient mixture, add 1/4 cup walnuts if desired, and stir gently just to combine – do not over-mix.
6.Pour muffin batter into muffin tin cups – about 3/4 full each. If using walnuts, sprinkle walnuts on top of each muffin.
7.Bake for 14-17 minutes until centers set or a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
8.Cool at least 10-15 minutes before serving.

From The Chic Life (http://thechiclife.com/)

Quinoa Cakes with Spinach and Goat Cheese

makes about 20 small cakes

ingredients:
2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked quinoa
4 ounces goat cheese
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying

how to:
1. Wash and chop the spinach, pat dry. Mince the garlic. Heat 1 tablespoon
of olive oil in a small skillet. Cook the garlic until lightly browned, about a minute, then add the spinach. Cover, and cook until wilted. Set aside and let cool.

2. In a small saucepan, mix the quinoa and the goat cheese over low heat (to help melt the cheese). Remove from heat when well combined.

3. Chop the cooked spinach finely, mix with the quinoa and goat cheese. Beat the egg and mix in until everything is combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Heat a layer of olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Form the quinoa into 2″ patties about 1/2 inch thick. Drop into the oil and cook until well browned on one side, 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, then set on paper towels to drain.

From The Barefoot Kitchen (http://thebarefootkitchen.com/)

Spinach Dhal

2 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained
5 cups water
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 medium bunch spinach, washed well and roughly chopped (leaves only)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 fresh jalapeno, thinly sliced (for garnish)

Put the lentils, water, turmeric, and ginger in a dutch oven or large pot. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that collects on the surface. Turn the heat down so the mixture is simmering, and let cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water in 1/4 cup increments if it begins to look dry. If they are particularly soupy, turn the heat up slighly so some of the water evaporates.

Add the spinach, cilantro, and a few pinches of salt, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium high for about 30 seconds. Add the garlic, cumin, mustard seeds, ground cumin, and ground coriander. Stir fry for about 2 minutes, then pour into the lentils and stir well.

Serve immediately, with slices of fresh jalapeno (if desired)

From Cate's World Kitchen (http://catesworldkitchen.com/)

The Best Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

■3 cups pasta sauce (like Classico Spicy Tomato and Pesto)
■16 ounces 2% cottage cheese
■1/2 cup grated parmesan
■9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
■8 ounces mozzarella cheese
■Approximately 4 cups mixed vegetables (I used spinach, carrots, sundried tomatoes, and zucchini)
Preheat oven to 400*. Spray 11 X 8 glass casserole dish.

1.Combine cottage and parmesan cheeses.
2.Place 3 uncooked noodles in pan.
3.Cover with 1 cup pasta sauce, 1/3 cheese mixture, 1/3 vegetables, and 1/3 mozzarella.
4.Repeat 2 more times.
5.Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake one hour.

Makes about 8 servings, ~350 kcal per serving.

From Kath Eats Real Food (http://www.katheats.com/?page_id=1947)